Azazel (Supernatural)

Azazel is a villain on The CW Television Network's Supernatural. While being referred to by nicknames such as "The Demon", "Yellow Eyed Demon", or "Yellow Eyes" throughout the first two seasons, his true name is revealed in Season Three's fourth episode, "Sin City".

Azazel has several children of his own, notably his daughter, the demon who possessed Meg Masters, an antagonist in the first season who was exorcised and sent back to Hell by Sam Winchester. As in Christian Mythology, Azazel as he is presented on the show has many Children either with female Demons or maybe even human women he has seduced. These "children" are demons that he loves very much as he asks Dean why he thinks it's ok for humans to have families but not for demons, and he tortures Dean for killing one of his "children" who was beating Sam bloody in a back alley after the Winchester brothers save their father in Devil's Trap. The only thing he seems to fear is the Colt, a special gun which can kill anything. He spent the first season trying to obtain this weapon. At the beginning of the second season, he procures it from John Winchester, along with John's life and soul, in exchange for saving the life of John's son, Dean.

Sam and Dean think, for a time, that Azazel's attacks follow a set pattern. The attack would occur on the "gifted" child's six-month birthday, would originate in the child's nursery, and the mother of the child would die by being pinned to the ceiling, where she would burst into flames. These deaths were result of him fulfilling deals made 10 years prior. Azazel stated he simply needed permission to do something. As long as he was not interrupted, no one would be hurt.

This was the case with Sam and his mother Mary Winchester, and with Max Miller and his mother. Mary had made the deal ten years prior to save John's life and end her career as a Hunter. The demon said she was his favorite. However, the pattern is broken when Sam's girlfriend Jessica is killed (Azazel claimed she was in the way), and in "Simon Said" with the case of Andy Gallagher and his twin brother Ansem Weems, who were both adopted. Andy's adoptive mother was killed on his six-month birthday, but Ansem's was not. It is likely Ansem's adoptive mother did not interrupt Azazel during his visit.

The full scope of his powers is unknown. He mostly appears by possessing the bodies of others, and is only identifiable when he presents yellow eyes. He seems to possess telekinetic and pyrokinetic powers, which he uses elaborately to kill his primary victims. When not in possession of a body, he can exist as a black smoke, and at one point manages to dodge a bullet from Sam by teleporting. He holds considerable influence and power, he even at one point possesses a reaper and saves Dean's life. Unlike other demons on the show, he appears to be immune to exorcisms, holy water, and most other forms of defense against demons.

In "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 1", Azazel appears to Sam in a dream. In this twisted dream, the demon informs Sam that he is in a contest against all the other "special children" like him. Azazel then notes that Sam is his favorite, so he shows Sam a vision of the night that he visited him. It is shown that Azazel sort of "baptizes" the special children with his own blood, as sort of a ritual. Azazel also shows that Sam's mother, Mary, recognizes him and was only killed because she was at the "wrong place at the wrong time". Series creator Eric Kripke has stated that her relation to Azazel was supposed to be addressed in the third season, but was pushed back to the fourth season due to the writer's strike.

Azazel's last appearance chronologically is in "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2", where he approaches Jake in a dream to tell him what to do now that he is the last survivor. He threatens Jake's family, and the soldier listens. When Jake is asked by Azazel to do something for him, Jake is given the Colt and immediately points it at him. Feigning fear, Azazel shrugs off the Colt pointed at him and says that Jake would rather have health and wealth than to shoot him. He promises security for his family as well, causing Jake to lower the weapon. With Azazel's promises, Jake is coerced into entering the Devil's Trap and into using the Colt as a key to open a gate to hell. The rush of demons from the gate breaks open the Devil's Trap, allowing Azazel to enter. He then appears behind Dean, who attempts to shoot him with the Colt. However, Azazel telekinetically grabs it from him and forcefully throws Dean onto the ground, telling him how thankful he is to Dean that he revived Sam since he liked him better than Jake. He also informs Dean that whatever Dean brought back is probably not "100% pure Sammy" and taunts Dean that Sam coldheartedly shot Jake multiple times, a feat which he could not accomplish before. He then aims the Colt at Dean and prepares to kill him, but the spirit of John, who escaped through the gate, appears and grabs him from behind, pulling him out of his human host. Azazel escapes from John's grasp and returns to his body, but Dean already has the Colt by then and shoots him in the heart, killing him. Dean then triumphantly stands over the demon's "body", recognizing his and Sam's victory over the thing which has given their family so much death and heartache. However, with the release of hundreds of demons, the Winchester brothers accept the fact that they have more work to do and more demons to hunt down and kill, some possibly worse than Azazel.

Azazel's ultimate goal, what he called his "end game" was something more than just unleashing a demon army and finding one of his children to lead it. He, however, had managed to cover his tracks well enough to leave even angels guessing at the nature of that end game. Fans believe that Azazel may have been working with Lilith to free Lucifer and his "end game" was all part of an elaborate plot to achieve this, but no one knows at this point.

As a demon, Azazel is incorporeal and has the ability to possess living and other incorporeal creatures. Beginning with the second season, he takes on one primary host, possessing others when the need arises. While possessing his host, the body exhibits demonic abilities quite normal for a possessed person. These include, but are not limited to, inhuman durability and enhanced strength. He is more powerful than the average demon, as he is invulnerable to the average defense used against demons. He has displayed supreme psychic ability as well, such as the time he pinned the Winchesters to a wall via telekinesis, or the time he entered Sam’s dreams. He also appears to have pyrokinetic abilities, unlike most other demons. He can resurrect the dead, though only after making a deal with someone. Like all demons, conventional weapons can't kill him.